Day 5 Moving Forward 6-19-18

After talking with Debi and Addy, I made the difficult decision to start riding while they waited for repairs. I started riding in Braidwood, and ended up in Bloomington, Illinois. On they way I saw a lot of neat little towns, and spoke with as many people as I could. I even met Jacques, who is from France, and was riding a motorized bicycle (hauling a trailer with camping gear). He was traveling the length of Route 66 from West to East!

The weather was extremely hot and humid, and I took breaks every 10-15 miles (or wherever fit best into the route). Each time I stopped, I drank as much water as possible and also had various sports drinks. I also used SPF 100 sunscreen and covered my ears completely with a moisture wicking liner underneath my helmet. In addition, I have moisture wicking arm sleeves to further protect me from the sun.

My thoughts varied on the ride from extreme happiness because I was actually putting some miles on the bicycle to extreme sadness that Kevin isn't here to see this trip. I'm also very thankful for everyone who has donated, and continues to donate to these two great Pediatric Cancer Organizations. As I was fighting the sun, the wind, and sore muscles, I realized that I am crazy to be doing this, but I am also very fortunate that I am able to do this amazing ride.

Since the support vehicle (drum roll please... Mack the Silverback- Mack was Lightening McQueen's car hauler and friend in the Cars Movie, and the camper is a Silverback) was down for repairs in Braidwood, I rented a hotel for the night in Bloomington. Since I didn't have any clothes with me, I had to walk to a nearby Target and shop for "regular" clothes. I received a lot of surprised looks, heard a few snickers, and saw a few people pointing towards me as the noticed a sweaty, stinky, 6'7" man wearing spandex shorts with a padded groin area, a skin tight cycling jersey, and cycling shoes walking through the aisles. I returned to the hotel, and took a very long shower while washing my cycling clothes in the shower. I dried them the next morning using the hair dryer!